History of Texas, together with a biographical history of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson counties : containing a concise history of the state, with portraits and biographies of prominent citizens of the above named counties, and personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families
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93

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shadow of the impossibility of an independentconfederacy was casting a gloomy sky overthe sunny South.After the recovery of Galveston island, noother operation of importance occurred untilSeptember, 1863, when the Federals attemptedto effect a lodgment at Sabine City,the terminus of a railroad. The blockade ofSabine Pass was temporarily broken by thecapture of two United States gunboats, outsidethe bar. Afterward the Confederateserected a fort at Sabine City, defended by aformidable battery of eight heavy guns, threeof which were rifled. A detachment of 4,000men, with gunboats, from Banks' army, madean attempt in September, 1863, to take SabineCity, but met with ignominious defeat,losing two gunboats, 100 men killed andwounded, and 250 as prisoners. The garrisonof the fort consisted of only 200 Texans,of whom only forty-two took part in the action.These were presented by PresidentDavis with a silver medal, the only honor ofthe kind known to have been bestowed bythe Confederate government.On the 26th of July this year GeneralHouston died. See his biography on anotherpage, to be found by the index.The Rio Grande being a national boundaryline, it could not be blockaded by the UnitedStates; but General Banks, after his failureto capture Sabine City, endeavored to takeBrownsville, and thus at least cripple the tradebetween Texas and Mexico. Late in October,1863, supported by a naval squadronunder Commander Strong, Banks sailed with6,000 troops from New Orleans for the RioGrande. The immediate command, however,was given to General Napoleon Dana. ByNovember 2 the force reached Brazos Santiago,and on the 6th took Brownsville, andsoon afterward Corpus Christi, Aransas Pass,

Cavillo Pass and Fort Esperanza at themouth of Matagorda bay. By the close ofthe year Indianola and the Matagorda peninsulawere also in the hands of the Federals.The Texans made but a show of resistance,withdrawing from the coast defenses west ofthe Colorado. But this possession of Texanforts was of short duration. After a fewmonths the Federals withdrew from all exceptBrazos Santiago, leaving the duty of guardingthe coast to the navy, which soon afterwardcaptured several Confederate vessels.Banks' next scheme to obtain pos-ession ofTexas was by an entrance from the northeast,from Red river; but this famous " Red riverexpedition " also ignominiously failed. TheTexans were too much for that Yankee army.At the battle of Pleasant Hill, however, theTexans suffered a serious defeat; Sweitzer'sregiment of cavalry, about 400 strong, wasalmost annihilated by the Federals; and theyalso lost the battle at Pleasant Grove; butin the great battle of Sabine Cross Roads theTexans gained a great victory.During the month of September Brownsvillewas captured by her old enemy, Cortina,under peculiar circumstances. A Frenchforce of about 5,000 took Bagdad, at themouth of the Rio Grande, with the object oftaking possession of Matamoras, where Cortinawas then in command. Brownsville wasat that time occupied by Colonel Ford with aconsiderable force of Texan cavalry, and BrazosSantiago was still held by the Federals.On the 6th the French began to move up theright bank of the river, and their advance becameengaged with Cortina, who had marchedwith 3,000 Mexicans and sixteen pieces ofartillery from Matamoras to meet them.There seems to have been some understandingbetween Ford and the French commander,for during the engagement the former ap

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Lewis Publishing Company, publisher.History of Texas, together with a biographical history of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson counties : containing a concise history of the state, with portraits and biographies of prominent citizens of the above named counties, and personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families,
book,
1893;
Chicago.
(texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth29785/m1/98/:
accessed December 13, 2017),
University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, texashistory.unt.edu;
.